Hydraulic fracturing method for creating horizontal fractures

Claim 1

A method of forming a horizontally disposed fracture in a subterranean formation that is penetrated by a borehole, comprisiing the steps of: a. setting in said borehole against said formation an upper packer and a lower packer to form with each of said upper packer and lower packer a packer-to-formation bond with the wall of said formation and define with said borehole and intermediate said upper packer and said lower packer a fracture treatment zone; b. applying hydraulic pressure to said fracture treatment zone in an amount slightly less than that pressure required to create a vertical fracture in said formation; c. applying acoustical energy in said fracture treatment zone at a frequency to form a resonant condition therein and rigidly couple said upper packer and said lower packer with the wall of said formation and form a horizontal fracture in said formation; and d. propagating said horizontal fracture into said formation by continuing to apply hydraulic pressure to said fracture treatment zone.

Claim 2

A method of forming a horizontally disposed fracture in a subterranean formation that is penetrated by a borehole, comprisiing the steps of: a. setting in said borehole against said formation an upper packer and a lower packer to form with each of said upper packer and lower packer a packer-to-formation bond with the wall of said formation and define with said borehole and intermediate said upper packer and said lower packer a fracture treatment zone; b. applying hydraulic pressure to said fracture treatment zone in an amount slightly less than that pressure required to create a vertical fracture in said formation; c. applying acoustical energy in said fracture treatment zone at a frequency to form a resonant condition therein and rigidly couple said upper packer and said lower packer with the wall of said formation and form a horizontal fracture in said formation; and d. propagating said horizontal fracture into said formation by continuing to apply hydraulic pressure to said fracture treatment zone.

Claim 6

A method of forming a horizontally disposed fracture in a subterranean formation that has a preferred vertical fracture orientation and that is penetrated by a borehole, comprising the steps of: a. setting in said borehole against said formation an upper packer and a lower packer to form with at least one of said packers a packer-to-formation bond with the wall of said formation and define with said borehole and intermediate said upper packer and said lower packer a fracture treatment zone having a vertical dimension of from 10 to 100 feet; b. applying hydraulic pressure to said fracture treatment zone in an amount slightly less than that pressure required to create a vertical fracture in said formation; and c. applying acoustical energy in said fracture treatment zone such that the combined hydraulic and acoustical pressure therein is less than that pressure required to create a vertical fracture in said formation, said acoustical energy being applied at a frequency within the range of 10 to 1000 cycles per second to form a resonant condition therein and rigidly couple at least one of said packers with the wall of said formation and form a horizontal fracture in said formation.

Claim 7

A method of forming a horizontally disposed fracture in a subterranean formation that has a preferred vertical fracture orientation and that is penetrated by a borehole, comprising the steps of: a. setting in said borehole against said formation an upper packer and a lower packer to form with at least one of said packers a packer-to-formation bond with the wall of said formation and define with said borehole and intermediate said upper packer and said lower packer a fracture treatment zone having a vertical dimension of from 10 to 100 feet; b. applying hydraulic pressure to said fracture treatment zone in an amount slightly less than that pressure required to create a vertical fracture in said formation; and c. applying acoustical energy in said fracture treatment zone such that the combined hydraulic and acoustical pressure therein is less than that pressure required to create a vertical fracture in said formation, said acoustical energy being applied at a frequency within the range of 10 to 1000 cycles per second to form a resonant condition therein and rigidly couple at least one of said packers with the wall of said formation and form a horizontal fracture in said formation.